“In addition, you can prolong the passion and happiness; it just takes more work. If you’re dating a great person, should be more than willing to put in that effort.”

There are clear signs when the phase ends, Bennett continued, adding that people often start noticing their partner’s negative traits.

“You’re so in love that you are blind to your partner’s faults. However, as the honeymoon phase ends, you begin to more clearly see your partner, warts and all. For example, the little things that used to be ‘cute’ might quickly become annoying.”

Others will feel the passion in the relationship starts to fade.

“However, as the honeymoon phase draws to a close, you feel less excitement about your partner, and this includes between the sheets,” he told the site.

Why do we love momentum?

Claire says we should enjoy every aspect of the honeymoon phase.

“Enjoy the honeymoon period, but don’t devalue the trust, intimacy and mutual respect that comes after it,” she said. “Temper the feelings of security by still trying new things together, allowing each other space to be yourselves and to do your own things, and keep time to really connect.”

She says the intense, almost “obsessively limerent view of love in pop culture” is very different than what we experience in our own relationships.

“ is very unlike the established long-term connections we see in relationships outside of the honeymoon period so we barely recognize it as love,” she said. “We think the spark is gone when our brains have just moved on from one phase of love to the next.”

If you’re feeling like the end of the honeymoon phase is approaching or you’re already past the phase, there are ways to keep the romance in your relationship alive, Claire says.

“You can make sure to value novelty/adventure together, to spend quality time together without distraction and to make sure to keep aspects of your life apart from one another to enjoy the comfort while not succumbing to doing the same thing every night and basically melding together,” she said.

It doesn’t take much to keep things interesting in a relationship.

“Research indicates that these are real things we can do to maintain relationship satisfaction.”